


between us

by danrifics



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, University, but not cos i didnt use any explicit words, theres smut kinda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:27:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22202560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danrifics/pseuds/danrifics
Summary: Manchester University Fallowfield Accommodation Facebook GroupPhil Lester 15:45Long shot but is anyone in the group the person over in Wallwood Hall with the pride flag in their window?Comments:Bryony Matthewman 17:12If ur the guy in the building opposite with the pride flag in his window then ur looking for @Dan Howell
Relationships: Dan Howell/Phil Lester
Comments: 5
Kudos: 66





	between us

**Author's Note:**

> This fic came about cos I put a pride flag in my window and someone in the building opposite then put one up and someone on tumblr prompted a strangers to lovers fic from it so Dana this is for you!

**September**

It’s 2 pm when Dan finally gets out of bed. He opens his curtains and stares out at his wonderful view of other people’s bedroom windows. 

He can’t help but look at the other rooms, maybe he has some kind of voyeuristic desire or maybe he’s just nosey, most people’s curtains are still closed, and he’s not sure if they’re still asleep or most likely, they don’t want people looking into their rooms.

Dan’s eye catches something in one of the windows. A pride flag. A huge rainbow flag hanging from a curtain rail, full display in the window.

Dan’s not sure what the feeling, he’s feeling is right now. It’s like his chest tightens slightly, oh… he’s having a panic attack. The feeling is his internal homophobia. 

Last time he felt like this was when Bryony, one of his flatmates, took him to a gay bar in their first week here. The moment a guy hit on him, he ran off to cry outside, and now he’s crying at the sight of a flag in a different building across from him.

He takes a deep breath. He needs to get over this. He was excited to come to university, move away from home, actually be gay and not hide it.

He stares at the flag for a little longer and calms himself down. 

Baby steps, he thinks to himself.

“Baby steps” he repeats out loud.

**December**

“I got you a present” Bryony says.

She walks into his room without knocking, as she usually does, and throws herself onto Dan’s bed. He doesn’t look up from his computer.

“Did you hear what I said?” She asks.

“Yes, but I’m mid-thought so be quiet a second”

“Be quiet a second” She repeats, in a mocking tone.

Dan sighs and closes his laptop. He swivels his chair around to look at his friend.

Bryony sits up from where she’d been laying and hands him a wrapped gift. 

Dan unwraps it slowly. It’s a flag. A pride flag.

“What do you think?” Bryony asks.

Dan unfolds it.

“Where am I meant to put it?” Dan asks.

Bryony stands up and takes the flag from Dan. She puts her hand in her pocket and pulls out some string.

Dan watches as she stands on the bed and throws the string over the curtain rail. She threads the string through the eyelets on the top of the flag and then ties a knot.

She climbs down off the bed and straightens out the flag.

“Perfect!” She exclaims “Now homeboy in the other building knows there’s another gay about.”

“Oh,” Dan laughs, looking out the window at the Pride flag in the window across in the other building. “Here I was thinking you were being a good, supportive friend but apparently you’re trying to set me up with anonymous strangers”

“I am not!” She protests.

Dan glares at her.

“Okay, maybe I am”

“This isn’t some, strangers to lovers fanfiction, Bry, you can’t just… you… Bryony, how am I gonna even find out who he is? Or even if it’s a guy? ”

“You’ll figure it out” She says.

She pats him on the back and goes to leave the room, as she opens the door she stops to look back at Dan, he’s staring out the window. She smiles.

“Text me when you want dinner, and we’ll eat together”

Dan doesn’t respond.

**January**

_Manchester University Fallowfield Accommodation Facebook Group_

_Phil Lester 15:45_

_Long shot but is anyone in the group the person over in Wallwood Hall with the pride flag in their window?_

_Comments:_

_Bryony Matthewman 17:12_

_If ur the guy in the building opposite with the pride flag in his window then ur looking for @Dan Howell_

_-_

_Facebook Message from Phil Lester_

**_Phil 17:52_ **

_Hi, this is weird I know but I noticed your pride flag, I’m the guy in the building opposite with the other flag._

**_Dan 18:00_ **

_Hi! I’ve been wondering who you were!_

**_Phil 18:00_ **

_This may be really forward but would you maybe wanna get some coffee?_

**_Dan 18:05_ **

_I’m pretty sure most coffee places close at 6, not sure where we’d go?_

**_Phil 18:15_ **

_I have coffee in my flat if you wanna meet me down in reception._

**_Dan 18:16_ **

_Aren’t you supposed to take me to dinner before you invite me over?_

_Kidding!_

_I’ll be downstairs in 5 minutes_

_-_

Dan knows what Phil looks like from his Facebook, but he’s still worried he’s going to miss him. 

He’s not sure what he’s doing right now, meeting a stranger from his university because he happens to be gay too.

It’s not a bad thing, meeting other gay people. In fact, it’s really good, he needs to stop pretending that he’s not, and he needs to meet more people who are.

“Dan?” A northern accent, not what he was expecting.

Dan turns around and is met with a tall guy, his hair dyed black and styled into an emo style, similar to his own but definitely more emo and bigger than Dan’s own. Dan’s breath catches in his throat, his stomach fills with butterflies. He’s never felt this feeling before, he feels… oh… this is what it must feel like to experience love at first sight.

Love has never been something he’s ever experienced, but he’s pretty sure that this is what it feels like and yes maybe it’s because Phil is super hot but, he doesn’t think he’s ever met someone that he thought was hot. Being gay has always been the thing he’s hidden from not only his family but himself, he’s never even let himself have the opportunity to feel something for another man but he thinks, maybe this is his opportunity.

He’s aware this silence between them is getting awkward, and he has to force away from his affectionate stare.

“Phil? Hi” He laughs, nervously.

“Nice to meet you” Phil smiles “Let’s get that coffee”

-

Phil’s flat looks exactly the same as Dan’s. Which of course it would, it’s a university flat, they’re all built the same.

Phil instructs Dan to sit on the sofa while he makes coffee.

“Milk and sugar?” He asks

“Just milk please”

Phil brings the coffee over and puts it on the coffee table in front of the bigger sofa, Dan is sat at one end, and he expects Phil to sit on the other end, but he doesn’t. He sits himself down right next to Dan.

Dan blushes slightly at the closeness of them both, but he doesn’t mind.

-

It’s 10 pm, time seems to have gotten away from them both. It’s not a problem though, the conversation hasn’t faltered once. They have so much in common; Phil’s favourite band is also muse, he loves video games and anime, the list goes on. The butterflies in Dan’s stomach are getting more and more. The feeling is new but for the first time in his life, he doesn’t feel scared about being gay. He feels more comfortable in this moment than he can ever recall.

“You’re the first gay person I’ve ever met” Dan admits “Other than Bryony, but she’s bi”

“You’ve met other gay people” Phil says, unbelieving of Dan’s statement.

Dan laughs “I promise, I haven’t”

“You have, you just didn’t know”

Dan laughs and rests his head on Phil’s shoulder. The mood suddenly changes.

Dan raises his head back up and looks at Phil. 

Their stares linger. Dan notices how beautifully blue Phil’s eyes are, he could stare into them forever. He notices Phil glance down at his lips and suddenly he’s leaning in.

Dan wants to kiss him, he wants it with his entire being but…. He pulls away and he hates that he did, Phil awkwardly turns away.

“I’m sorry” Phil mumbles “I- I though… I’m dumb sorry”

Dan looks away from Phil for a second.

“No, don’t be sorry.” Dan breathes “I-i’ve never kissed anyone before”

He feels embarrassed, he’s 20 and he’s never kissed, anyone. He’s always been too scared, exactly like now.

“I want to kiss you” he pauses “so badly”

He feels this sudden confidence, he’s not sure where it comes from but he takes charge. Phil is staring at him, confused. 

Dan gently places his hand on the side of Phil’s face and slowly he leans forward. The kiss is soft, Phil’s lips are soft. The kiss quickly becomes more heated, with more tongue and more urgency. It’s not the first kiss Dan was expecting. It’s better.

He thinks (no, he knows), this is leading somewhere more and he’s excited. Phil’s hand is moving further up his thigh and Dan can feel his jeans getting tighter and-

They both jump apart as the door to the kitchen opens. A girl appears holding some plates.

“Hey Phil” she greats, unphased by what she’s just walked into “and Phil’s… friend”

Dan stands up. 

“I… um, I should go” He turns to Phil “I’ll text you”

-

_5 Facebook messages from Phil_

**_Phil 12:05 am_ **

_We should go on a date._

**_Phil 12:06 am_ **

_Like, let me take you out for dinner._

**_Phil 9:00 am_ **

_Sorry if my flatmate made things awkward last night_

**_Phil 9:06 am_ **

_Am I being too forward? Getting to know you yesterday was awesome, and I really like you._

**_Phil 9:06 am_ **

_I wanna kiss you again, it’s all I’ve been thinking about._

**_Dan 9:10 am_ **

_Sorry for the late reply, I just woke up._

**_Dan 9:10 am_ **

_I would love to go on a date with you, I know a good pizza place. I have a lecture from 2 pm until 5 pm so meet me at reception at 7._

**_Dan 9:15 am_ **

_P.s I wanna kiss you again too_

_-_

**February**

A month, they’ve been dating for a month. They’ve spent every moment that they aren’t in lectures with each other. They spend more time in Phil’s flat because Phil paid extra for a double bed and Dan’s single bed is barely big enough for a normal-sized human, let alone 2 men over 6ft tall. Today, however, they’re in Dan’s room. A decision that they’re not actually regretting yet.

Dan pushes his head back against the pillow, Phil is kissing his neck and straddling his hips. A month ago the thought of being in this position would have terrified Dan but now, he’s looking forward to everything that’s coming next.

He feels his jeans tighten and he knows for a fact that Phil’s are too. He can feel him against himself.

Phil pulls away from Dan’s neck. They’re face to face, noses touching. 

Dan leans up kissing Phil on the lips, opening his mouth to deepen the kiss.

Phil runs his hand down Dan’s chest and stops at the waist of his jeans. 

“Is this okay?” Phil asks “Can I take these off you?”

Dan nods, eagerly.

“I wanna make sure, I know this is a big deal for you”

He was right, it was a big deal for Dan. They’ve talked about it so many times. 

Dan had opened up to Phil after they’d gotten drunk one night. He’d told him everything from his homophobic father to the bullying he’d endured through school. He told Phil how for a long time the thought of having sex or even kissing another man would cause panic attacks. How just seeing Phil’s pride flag in the window back in September had made him feel sick.

Phil had made sure that Dan knew that he would never pressure him into doing things he wasn’t ready for and, that they’d get there when they were ready. 

Dan was ready. He knew he was ready. 

Of course, he was terrified. This was so new for him but, knowing it was Phil that he was doing this with made him feel okay.

Phil slowly undoes the button on Dan’s jeans and with Dan’s help he pulls them off. 

Dan falls back against the pillow again when Phil touches him through his boxers.

“You can take those off too” Dan breathes out “and take yours off. Please”

They still have their t-shirts on, but that’s not a problem. Dan doesn’t need to be completely naked right now, he just needs to be close to Phil and he is.

Dan moans as Phil touches him. He’s never felt this level of pleasure before.

His nervous melt-away. This is perfect.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on Tumblr @ thrivinghowell
> 
> Thank you to @ judearaya on Tumblr for all the help!


End file.
